Lifeboat Foundation

A simulation offers a means of probing time travel without worrying about whether it’s actually permitted by the rules of the universe.

“Whether closed timelike curves exist in reality, we don’t know. The laws of physics that we know of allow for the existence of CTCs, but those laws are incomplete; most glaringly, we don’t have a theory of quantum gravity,” said Yunger Halpern. “Regardless of whether true CTCs exist, though, one can use entanglement to simulate CTCs, as others showed before we wrote our paper.”

USA: Medical researchers at the University of Minnesota have developed an experimental method for treating hard-to-treat blood cancers using natural killer cells pre-treated with nicotinamide, a compound commonly known as vitamin B3. These natural killer cells are part of the body’s immune system and have the unique ability to target and destroy malignant cells.

A recent study, published in Science Translational Medicine by Frank Cichocki and colleagues, highlights the potential of this approach in treating relapsed or refractory leukemias and lymphomas, where traditional treatments have often failed. The study involved boosting the effectiveness of natural killer cells through pre-treatment with nicotinamide and interleukin-15 (IL-15).

Humane is set to reveal more about its mysterious new device on November 9th, but a new report from The Information says the gadget could have a high price.

The AI Pin, the new gadget / wearable device / projector / thing from the secretive startup Humane, might cost as much as $1,000 and may require a monthly subscription for data, according to The Information.

The mysterious device has been in development for years, but we got our first good look at it during co-founder Imran Chaudhri’s presentation at TED this year. In the presentation, he used then unnamed device to accept a phone call, get information about where to buy a gift, translate a sentence that is then spoken in an AI-made… More.

Continue reading “Humane’s AI Pin could cost $1,000 — and require a subscription” »

OpenAI’s new preparedness team will address the potential dangers associated with AI, including nuclear threats.

OpenAI is forming a new team to mitigate the “catastrophic risks” associated with AI. In an update on Thursday.

The team will also work to mitigate “chemical, biological, and radiological threats,” as well as “autonomous replication,” or the act of an AI replicating itself. Some other risks that the preparedness team will address include AI’s ability to trick humans, as well as cybersecurity threats.

Continue reading “OpenAI forms new team to assess ‘catastrophic risks’ of AI” »

Sam Altman sat comfortably.

Ever since the gathering, Zuckerberg and Meta have rapidly shipped products that compete directly with Altman’s OpenAI, opening up one of the most intense — and overlooked — battles in tech today. Meta’s countered OpenAI’s GPT-4 with… More.

A fierce, underrated, and full-contact battle is brewing between the social networking company and the formidable AI upstart.

New York Mayor Eric Adams doesn’t speak Spanish. But it sure sounds like he does. He’s been using artificial intelligence software to send prerecorded calls about city events to residents in Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Urdu and Yiddish. The voice in the messages mimics the mayor but was generated with AI software from a company called ElevenLabs.

“People stop me on the street all the time and say, ‘I didn’t know you speak Mandarin,’” Adams said at a news conference this month.

Experts have warned for years that AI will change our democracy by distorting reality. That future is already here. AI is being used to fabricate voices, fundraising emails and “deepfake” images of events that never… More.

Continue reading “Candidates, take this AI election pledge. Or 2024 might break us” »

With a massive $2 billion reported investment from Google, Anthropic joins OpenAI in reaping the benefits of leadership in the artificial intelligence space, receiving immense sums from the tech giants that couldn’t move fast enough themselves. A byword for the age: Those who can, build; those who can’t, invest.

The funding deal, according to sources familiar cited by The Wall Street Journal, reportedly involves $500 million now and up to $1.5 billion later, though subject to what, if any, timing or conditions is unclear. I’ve asked Anthropic for comment on the matter.

It recalls — though it does not quite match — Microsoft’s enormous investment in OpenAI early this year. But with Amazon committing to as much as $4 billion to Anthropic, the funding gap is probably more theoretical than practical.

The $26.3 billion amount did not specify the payments to any single partner, but Apple was likely the biggest beneficiary.

Most likely whenever you search for something on your iPhone or Android phone, it’s definitely a Google search to many of us has become the staple of search engines. But Google also invests heavily in remaining to be so.

Dem10/iStock.

Continue reading “Google pays $26.3 billion to be top search engine” »

“As the world urbanizes, urban planners and policymakers need to make sure urban design and policies adequately address critical issues such as infrastructure and transportation improvements, poverty and the health and safety of urbanites, as well as the increasing inequality within and across cities.”

Increasing population shifts from rural to urban areas are resulting in the growth of cities and towns, a process referred to as urbanization. However, this development can put a strain on urban infrastructure, such as transportation, housing, sanitation, and utilities, leading to urban decay.

Everett Atlas/iStock.

Continue reading “AI can identify urban decay and social inequalities in cities” »